STORY: A man (Rajeev Khandelwal) wakes up in the hospital with sketchy memory of his past life. All he knows is that his name is Armin and he is from Paris. And then, he starts getting visions of a murdered woman. As he tries to put together pieces of this jigsaw puzzle, he meets Kavya (Gauahar Khan), who becomes his confidante. Soon, another murder happens. Is someone trying to frame Armin?

REVIEW: If you've watched Rajeev's earlier film Samrat & Co., Fever will feel familiar. It is just as amateurish and convoluted. It fashions itself as a thriller but is too mind-numbing to make a mark. You'll figure out quite early which way the film is headed, long before Armin makes the revelation.

It is hard to forgive good actors when they reduce themselves to such parts. Rajeev, who was mesmeric in Aamir, still remains a one-time wonder in Bollywood. Gauahar isn't half bad (though the diamond stud on the mole above the lip was distracting). Bond girl Caterina Murino and Gemma Atkinson were wasted.

But in this case, Rajeev Jhaveri's incoherent and cliche-ridden script plays the spoiler. Added to that, he packs the movie to the brim with corny dialogues. Sample this, when an actress makes an entry, a song in the background goes - 'She is so hot, just like a tequila shot...' (We have eyes, let us decide!) Spouses break up because they 'colonise' each other's minds. When someone asks Armin, what can she get him, he replies, "My identity..." You get the drift?

Khandelwal is sincere in his desi Sherlock act (he apes Cumberbatch, making his deductions from the clues popping on screen) but has no support from the plot. You wish the writer-director had used some logic, the film wouldn't have been this silly.

The picturesque locales (snow-capped Swiss Alps?) could provide some respite but the deafening background score and overwrought storyline should be reason enough to skip this one. The aftertaste can be best described in a line from the movie, "Life is a hit-and-run. Everything happens by accident..." We assume, so did Fever.

Just on the basis of the concept, you've probably never seen a Hind film like Fever. The story has some decent thrills and twists. You won't be able to figure out the surprise ending, even if you are a seasoned movie buff. But for all it's goodness Fever is also a bit of a letdown. It's emotional depth and some of its dialogue are jaded. It had all the trappings of a good psychological thriller, it just ruins its prospects by indulging in a little too much sentimentality, right at the end.

Fever makes its play on the inner rage of individuals. Armin (Rajeev Khandelwal) meets with a road accident in the hilly locales of Switzerland and the knock on his head gives him Amnesia. He can vaguely remember his name and that he's from Paris. He also has fleeting memories of a possible murder he might have committed. But he doesn't remember anything else. Things become a bit mysterious when Kavya / Pooja (Gauahar Khan) appears in his hallucinations along with Rhea (Gemma Atkinson) the girl who Armin thinks he's killed. Kavya starts stalking Armin around the quaint town of Champery. Things get a bit more curious when Rhea is revealed to be alive.

Back in 2004, there was a Johnny Depp movie called Secret Window. While Fever is distinctly different in its story, the basic concept does have minute similarities. The aspect of the protagonist losing his memory is also seen before in movies like The Bourne Identity and Shutter Island. Despite the many references, Fever is unlike any of these movies. Writer / director Rajiv Jhaveri, has done a more than decent job at conceiving the film. But where the movie suffers is its inconsistent execution and dialogue.

The pace of this thriller has been deliberately kept slow, to allow the solitude of the Swiss hills add an eerie mood to the proceedings. But the narrative is so pedantic, Fever does become a bit of a drag in the first half. The stellar visuals of the Swiss countryside though add to the experience. The pace does pick up in the second half, but it never quite becomes as racy as it should. The biggest flaw of the film is it's dialogue, which just does not do justice to its premise or its unforeseen conclusion. Once the big reveal happens, the film should have had an emotional punch, that's sadly missing.

The performances though are top notch. Rajeev Khandelwal and Gauahar Khan give this film their best shot. Rajeev's character goes through a sea of emotions and the actor gets every nuance bang on. Gauahar's edgy, mysterious and very enchanting role is the perfect opportunity to impress. And that's exactly what the actress does. British actor Gemma Atkinson brings in some added beauty and glamour to the movie. She even steals the show in a few scenes.

Despite the best efforts of its cast, and some really exotic locations on offer, Fever makes a meal out of its premise. The execution is the main culprit here. Some of the directorial choices are really poor, case in point, the Gauahar Khan swimming pool scene with garish music. What could've been a slick psychological thriller, turns out to be a bit of a damp squib.

August 05, 2016 17:17 IST[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Fever may be a thriller but it does not have any edge-of-the-seat moments, feels Tista Sengupta.If you are Rajeev Khandelwal fan, go watch him like a Bond-like character in Fever.But if you like thrillers, this one will not impress you at all.Fever does not have any edge-of-the-seat moments. Instead, you wonder why so many characters are wasted.The intimate scenes seen in the trailer might get the movie an opening, but it will hardly bring in the audiences. Besides, those scenes look too forced.Casino Royale's Bond girl Caterina Murino's presence was limited and English actor Gemma Atkinson looked very artificial in the film.The story revolves around Armin Salem (Khandelwal), who's recovering in the hospital after a car accident and suffering from memory loss. All he can recall is his name, that he is from Paris, that there is a woman named Rhea Wagner (Gemma Atkinson), who is important in his life and a few strange memory flashes of a murdered woman.

It turns out that Armin was a contract killer and had a fetish for costumes and scarves. He's not only quick with his gun but also smooth with women.It seems lame that director Rajeev Jhaveri keeps trying to portray Armin as an assassin in the film. While Armin tries to put together his past, he meets Kaavya Chaudhary (Gauhar Khan), who plays a role that is quite mystifying. Even though she falls in love with him and wants to help him remember his past, her frequent appearances make us wonder why she's skulking around Armin all the time.Our desi writers really need to work hard on their scripts. The story here seems too convoluted.Unlike other thrillers, this one battles between reality and fiction, and makes the plot unappealing. Rediff Rating: 2*

STORY: A man (Rajeev Khandelwal) wakes up in the hospital with sketchy memory of his past life. All he knows is that his name is Armin and he is from Paris. And then, he starts getting visions of a murdered woman. As he tries to put together pieces of this jigsaw puzzle, he meets Kavya (Gauahar Khan), who becomes his confidante. Soon, another murder happens. Is someone trying to frame Armin?

REVIEW: If you've watched Rajeev's earlier film Samrat & Co., Fever will feel familiar. It is just as amateurish and convoluted. It fashions itself as a thriller but is too mind-numbing to make a mark. You'll figure out quite early which way the film is headed, long before Armin makes the revelation.

It is hard to forgive good actors when they reduce themselves to such parts. Rajeev, who was mesmeric in Aamir, still remains a one-time wonder in Bollywood. Gauahar isn't half bad (though the diamond stud on the mole above the lip was distracting). Bond girl Caterina Murino and Gemma Atkinson were wasted.

But in this case, Rajeev Jhaveri's incoherent and cliche-ridden script plays the spoiler. Added to that, he packs the movie to the brim with corny dialogues. Sample this, when an actress makes an entry, a song in the background goes - 'She is so hot, just like a tequila shot...' (We have eyes, let us decide!) Spouses break up because they 'colonise' each other's minds. When someone asks Armin, what can she get him, he replies, "My identity..." You get the drift?

Khandelwal is sincere in his desi Sherlock act (he apes Cumberbatch, making his deductions from the clues popping on screen) but has no support from the plot. You wish the writer-director had used some logic, the film wouldn't have been this silly.

The picturesque locales (snow-capped Swiss Alps?) could provide some respite but the deafening background score and overwrought storyline should be reason enough to skip this one. The aftertaste can be best described in a line from the movie, "Life is a hit-and-run. Everything happens by accident..." We assume, so did Fever.

Good thrillers in Bollywood are rare to come by and there have been occasions when a film has failed to make an impact because of amateurish treatment despite a promising plot and 'Fever' is exactly it.

A man (Rajeev Khandelwal) wakes up in a Swiss hospital following an accident and seems to remember nothing about himself apart from the fact that his name is Armin Salem, he is from Paris and that he has committed some terrible crime. To further complicate things, he keeps running into a mysterious woman Kaavya (Gauahar Khan), who seems to know more about him than she is letting on.

Even as Armin starts to unravel the mystery about his identity, he is hit by another sucker punch when Rhea (Gemma Atkinson), a girl he met on a bus, insists that he is a writer named Karan and not a contract killer as his memories seem to suggest. Thrown in the mix is a murder mystery and lots of clues which seem to point at different directions. Who is Armin Salem? Is he a contract killer, who has fallen in love with his latest contract or is he Karan, a writer with a rocky marriage?

Rajeev, who had impressed everyone in Aamir, seems to be having his Samrat And Company hangover still, while Gauahar puts in an earnest effort. Rhea and Bond girl Caterina Murino provide some 'oomph' factor, which results in distracting you from the plot at hand.

As far as the plot goes, Fever has a promising premise and features eye-catching locales. However, where the film falters is with the amateurish treatment, songs with lyrics like 'she is so hot, just like tequila shot' and some bad performances. The film has elements of The Bourne Identity and Shutter Island, but not the slickness or the crisp treatment that the two films had in spades.

If only the makers had signed up some known faces, cut down on the glam factor, indulged in some crisp editing and decent screenplay and focused on the thrill element, Fever could have been a decent thriller.

Pitched as a film that will keep you ‘suspensed’ (not my word, but the words of the makers), Fever will not have you at the edge of the seat but keep you suspended -- in disbelief -- that stories like this get funding and actors agree to work on them. Perhaps Gauhar Khan and Rajeev Khandelwal fancied an extended stay in Switzerland, which is where Rajeev Jhaveri’s film is located and shot.I was intrigued to watch Fever to understand what a former Italian Bond (Casino Royale, 2006) girl Caterina Murino and a British TV star (Gemma Atkinson) were doing in this low budget ‘suspense’ written and directed by Jhaveri. By the end of the two hours or so, I was no clearer.The film opens with numerous disclaimers and a definition of fever as a feeling stoked by passion. In other words none of the principal characters is running a high temperature although Khandelwal’s character is recovering in hospital after a car accident and suffering from memory loss.[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Rajeev Khandelwal and Gauhar Khan in Fever. Youtube screen grab.

All he recalls is that his name is Armin, he’s from Paris and that a woman called Rhea is important to his life story. With flashes of memories of a murdered woman and the recurring appearance of another woman who introduces herself as ‘Kavya’ (Gauhar Khan), Armin begins to piece together his past.Turns out Armin (if that’s his real name) plays a contract killer with a penchant for scarves and costumes. He’s a bit Bond-like – smooth with the ladies, quick with the gun. Except he’s a hired hand, a contract killer, an assassin. This is explained to us many times, in case it was not clear the first (or second) time.Kavya’s role remains hazy, but we do eventually find out why she’s lurking around Armin. At the risk of giving away too much of the plot, suffice to say there’s a writer and there’s confusion between fact and fiction.Murino’s presence is so limited she hardly makes an impact while Atkinson is surprisingly stilted and awkward. Khandelwal spends most of the film posturing and being pensive, speaking with painfully long pauses and engaging in numerous scenes of seduction where the women look like they are desperately waiting for the director to call ‘cut’. Khan tries her best and shows some sparkle, not least because of a distracting diamante ‘Monroe’ (beauty mark) above her lip.Within the tedious script, and the convoluted storytelling, Jhaveri slips in a few bizarre allusions to celebrated storytellers. If you do decide to risk a mild weariness that might accompany a viewing of Fever, look out for the his-and-hers coordinated Alfred Hitchcock T-shirts and Wim Wenders and Fritz Lang’s names on a name board.

Fever calls itself a thriller, but there is nothing remotely thrilling about this movie.The only real mystery is how Rajeev Khandelwal, an actor who has been known to favour sensible and interesting scripts, could have been convinced to star in this cliché-ridden celebration of absurdity.Even the kindest viewer would be hard-pressed to find a single good thing to say about the film. Perhaps, if pressed, a case could be made for praising Khandelwal’s earnestness – but he never really stands a chance against the silly dialogue and haphazard, cobbled-together plot twists.

Armin (Khandelwal) wakes up in a hospital after a car accident with no memory of his past except a vague recollection of a woman called Rhea and that he is from Paris.As he attempts to piece together his past, alone and friendless, he meets Kavya (Gauhar Khan), who is weirdly invested in helping him remember – and, of course, quickly falls in love with him. Her motivation is revealed eventually, but comes as no great surprise.

The plot trudges along – accompanied by dreadful dialogue such: as "What can I get you?" "My identity", and a score that will make you want to cover your ears – we learn that Armin is a contract killer.

This piece of information is drummed into the heads of weary viewers so many times throughout the movie, it makes you wonder what kind of noxious fumes writer-director Rajeev Jhaveri was inhaling.

Possibly inspired by the presence of Bond girl Caterina Murino, Khandelwal attempts to pull off a low-budget Bond act – but fails for the most part.

Both Murino and British TV actress Gemma Atkinson are lumbered with insipid bit-part roles and fail to make any impression – which might be a good thing for their future careers.Khan is awkward and the best that can be said about Khandelwal is that he tried.Anything you do with your free time is going to be better than watchingFever – so do yourself a favour and forget all about it.

Touted as a suspense thriller and set in scenic Switzerland, "Fever" is nothing but a convoluted story of a ruthless contract killer, Armin Salem (Rajeev Khandelwal), who loses his memory in an accident and is struggling hard to put the pieces together to reconstruct his life and discover his true identity.

Kaavya (Gauhar Khan) mysteriously stalks him in Switzerland, initially, but later, inexplicably becomes his friend and stands by him, offering him help.

The film suffers because of a poorly written screenplay with no thought whatsoever having gone into it. It shuttles back and forth, aimlessly, confusing the audience as the film progresses.

Director Rajeev Jhaveri displays his poor directorial skills, as the entire premise is dealt with in a manner that makes it unbelievable and a tad amateurish.

The stylised action, deafening background score and unwarranted scenes with forced attempts to add shock value do nothing to elevate the viewing experience. On the contrary, these make it even more complex and boring to watch.

The first half is replete with confusion and the audience loses the plot several times. The narrative heads nowhere and does not get you hooked, despite desperate efforts to be true to the thriller genre. The second half drags as well and the resolution of the plot leaves you disappointed and abounds in loopholes.

The characters are flat and one-dimensional appearing very incomplete and unreal.

In keeping with the contract killer's racy life, there is a fair amount of skin show, as if to offer relief in an otherwise tedious film.

Rajeev Khandelwal as Armin Salem a contract killer from Paris is wasted. He has a commanding screen presence, but is not really able to elevate the quality of the badly etched character with his performance. He ends up appearing strictly mediocre.

Gauhar Khan as Kaavya, a mystery woman who becomes his friend, delivers competently, but again is the victim of a poorly written script.

Gemma Atkinson as Rhea Wagner, is endearing. The other actors with limited screen time including Victor Banerjee as Dr. Roy are wasted.

The locales in Switzerland are without a doubt, captured beautifully and are perhaps the only thing worth watching.

The music by Ranjit Barot is a treat. "Mile ho tum" by Tony Kakkar and "Bas ek baar" by Arijit Singh are soulful songs but sadly a misfit in a film like this.

We are told in the beginning that "a fever is an expression of inner rage." Perhaps that's meant to be a warning for the viewers. For that is indeed the feeling you leave the theatre with.

Producer : Ajay Chabbria, Mahesh Balekundri, Rajath Manjunath, Ravi Agrawal[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Production Company(S) : ICM Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Director : Rajeev Jhaveri[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Artists (Cast) : Rajeev Khandelwal, Gauahar Khan

Hitch hitch, huff huff... FEVER is an example on how unbearably terrible can a wrongly realised Hitchcockian and Kafka dream can go under the turf..

Ironically, this movie is a pioneer in giving warning signals before it starts, Rajeev Jhaveri's film starts with a disclaimer which means the movie is a combination of fact and fiction from the beginning till the end and in the process it is difficult to find the beginning and the end. Yes life gives you a second chance, even if you have paid for a ticket, such warnings at least provides a hint of the coming torture.

FEVER boost of an interesting star cast and to find out what the firangs (foreigners) – Italian Bond nari (beauty) Caterina Murino, British kumari (girl) Gemma Atkinson and veteran Bengali actor Victor Bannerjee are doing with our once TV heartthrob Rajeev Khandelwal generates a point of interest but alas Rajeev Jhaveri's thriller gets immediately cold in the picturesque locales where we see Armin Salem (Rajeev Khandelwal) wrapped in a shawl sitting on the side of an highway with Gemma Atkinson.

While Armin is in search of his identity, the next sequence shows Armin meeting Kavya (Gauahar Khan) and an accident lends him in a hospital where he wakes up with hazy memories of his past.

The only thing Armin knows is his name and the place where he belongs to – Paris. He is hallucinated by visions of a murdered woman, a haunting Kavya and the mysterious Ria (Gemma Atkinson). As he tries to find his identity, we are figuring out the main reason behind Caterina Murino and Gemma Atkinson entry in this toothless, forgettable jigsaw.

Gauahar Khan has meat in her role, the firangi balas ( beauties) are gorgeous, the locations are beautiful and Rajeev adds to his winning detective/bond mannerisms seen earlier in small and big screens. That's all in the name of redemption in this touted suspense thriller that hangs in suspension of disbelief.

Makers like Rajeev Jhaveri are striking in their public affection for major figures in world cinemas like Wim Wenders, Fritz Lang and Hitchcock (the inspired props, t-shirts) proves it but sorry to say such 'fever' defaces their fascination more than failing to get the audience attention.